Live foods

[jennandjuicetm]

How often can I feed live foods to my fish? I have blackworms already and have a package of microworms, banana worms, and vinegar eels on order. I mostly got them because the new little glass eel I have won't eat anything I give him but I'm wondering if all my fish would enjoy live food regularly. I'm sure live food is healthuer in general but I'm not sure what the specs of these live foods are compared to what each fish needs. So far they all go absolutely nuts for the blackworms (except the itsy bitsy leaf fish, they are too big for him.) The fish, in varying tanks, include dwarf salt and pepper cories (habrosus), threadfin rainbows, baby BN pleco, ADFs, killifish, baby platies, an endler, the glass eel, two leaf fish (one is 1-1.5", the other is 1/2" or so), silver dollars, blind tetras, large gold spot and common plecos, an angelfish, regular sized cories of differing species, zebra danios, neon tetras, rubbler lip pleco, and some bettas.
I know the SDs are herbivores bit they eat anything that goes in the tank. They do have kale available at all times.

 

[bettaowner]

I don't think there's really a limit. In fact if I had the option I would feed my fish live food every day. If you want to conserve the food I would say twice a week at most.


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[ProAquarist]

I would only feed as long as it takes to get them switched over to high quality pellets. Live foods are usually protein, some fat, but not much else. Pellets provide all the macronutrients plus micronutrients and minerals. They get a complete and balanced diet in every bite. Try bowl feeding to get pick eaters to make the switch, it will be much better for them in the end. It shouldn't take more than a week or two to get almost any fish on New Life Spectrum.

 

[jennandjuicetm]

Is there a way to feed primarily live but still provide a balanced diet? The leaf fish is a carnivore so would he be okay with live every day?

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[aqua_holic]

My ctenopomas have eaten NLS like a champ from day one. Agreed, feeding live food to that degree is not necessary. But to answer your question, it's called gut loading - feeding the feeders the high quality staple food you want your carnivore to eat, and feeding the feeders while their bellies are full. But really I've only had a handful of fish that just wouldn't eat pellets.

 

[Gillie]

I would only feed as long as it takes to get them switched over to high quality pellets. Live foods are usually protein, some fat, but not much else. Pellets provide all the macronutrients plus micronutrients and minerals. They get a complete and balanced diet in every bite. Try bowl feeding to get pick eaters to make the switch, it will be much better for them in the end. It shouldn't take more than a week or two to get almost any fish on New Life Spectrum.

Completely depends on the fish. my apistos still won't eat prepared foods after almost a year. If you feed your cultures properly then there will be no problems with nutrients.

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[jennandjuicetm]

For the micro and banana worms, what kinds of things could I feed them to make them more nutritional for the fish? I received the cultures today and started with just yeast for now. The biggest issue with the dry foods for one of the Leafs is that he is too small for most of them. The other day I had to pull a blood worm out of his mouth because it got stuck, assumably because it was too big. He is only about 3/4." He loves blackworms and I gave him a small amount of banana worms from the sides of the culture and he gobbled those down as well. Lucky for me, the tiny eel came out of hiding to eat some, too! The first time he's eaten since I got him a week ago.

 

[Gillie]

I feed my worms whole grain baby cereal mixed with spirulina and astaxanthin powders

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